Landowners suing state over wildfire control measure

According to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, four separate plaintiffs are suing the state over damage to remote subdivisions incurred when wildland fire crews conducted back-burns as part of their efforts to contain the 2009 Railbelt Complex fire. The plaintiffs say the now-charred properties are worth considerably less money and that the state is at fault because it failed to fully extinguish the fire, which caused it to re-ignite and require the back-burns. The suits also argue that the damage is compensable on the grounds of eminent domain laws. Each suit seeks in excess of $100,000. Read more, here.